


this won't hurt a bit

by kwon-hoshii (late_dawns)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brief mention of needles, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 01:51:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6733141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/late_dawns/pseuds/kwon-hoshii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>soonyoung uses his 'best friend instincts' to help seokmin deal with his fear of needles</p>
            </blockquote>





	this won't hurt a bit

Soonyoung has been told on more than one occasion that he has a very strong motherly instinct. Sure, Soonyoung will dote on Chan an excessive amount, will go out of his way to make sure Junhui and Minghao are always comfortable and included in the conversation, will be the first to wipe stray bits of food from the corner of mouths, but he still doesn’t think he’s as bad as Jeonghan.

Cold hands wriggling into Soonyoung’s coat pockets snap him out of his thoughts. “Thanks for feeding me, hyung,” comes Seokmin’s voice. His chin is hooked over Soonyoung’s shoulder, hair tickling his cheek. Soonyoung waves him off as he accepts their food from the street vendor. He allows Seokmin to use his pockets as his own because Soonyoung knows Seokmin gets cold easily and he has forgotten his gloves every day this week. Soonyoung buys spicy rice cakes knowing all too well that his tongue will burn incessantly, but also knowing how much Seokmin loves it.

To him, he treats Seokmin like this because he is the World’s Greatest Best Friend, not because of any motherly instincts. The warm, tingly feeling that washes over Soonyoung whenever Seokmin smiles so brightly, eyes forming crescent moons, well…all best friends don’t feel that?

Now is not the time to have an existential crisis, Soonyoung thinks, he has a Seokmin to walk home and rapidly cooling ddeokbokki to eat.

“Hyung,” Seokmin whines, drawing out the word, “pay attention to me.”

“Seokmin, the only person who pays more attention to you than me is your mother,” Soonyoung retorts. “I just bought you food; what more do you want from my life?

Seokmin is quite as they cross the street then, “will you help me with my Japanese homework?”

Soonyoung scoffs, throwing his hands up in the air to feign annoyance. “Is that all I’m good for? Food and helping your lazy ass pass Japanese?” Seokmin doubles over, laughter bubbling out of him; Soonyoung’s heart swells. “Honestly you are so lucky you’re done with Japanese this year. What would you do without me?”

“I’m sure I’d have managed.”

“Pft, okay, watching anime does not count as studying.”

*

It is dark outside when Soonyoung cracks open an eyelid and peers out the window. He is lying on Seokmin’s bed, the other boy’s back pressed firmly into his chest. They started watching some obscure anime Jisoo had been raving about a few weeks ago. Soonyoung had felt his eyes slip shut soon after it started.

“You’re finally awake?” Seokmin asks quietly. “I got through like five episodes.”

“Wasn’t sleeping,” Soonyoung’s loud yawn says otherwise. In his defense, it was impossible not to fall asleep with Seokmin’s warm weight on top of him, his hair smelling like apples...

“Hey, hyung,” Seokmin interrupts his thoughts again, “would you mind coming with me to my doctor’s appointment tomorrow? My mom’s busy, but they have to take blood...” The ‘and I’m scared to go alone’ is left unsaid. It’s okay though, he doesn’t need to say it because Soonyoung has compiled a list of Important Things about Seokmin over the years of their friendship. He knows how to gently remind Seokmin to use his indoor voice, knows all too well how sensitive Seokmin gets when someone snaps at him for getting on their nerves, how he can’t stand to be called annoying, how easily Seokmin gets cold, and his fear of needles. To Soonyoung, if he did not know all these things about Seokmin, then he wouldn’t be doing his job as a best friend correctly.

“Yeah, of course,” he replies. The ‘anything for you’ is left unsaid.

*

“Would you stop that?” Soonyoung places a hand on Seokmin’s leg that had been incessantly bouncing up and down. They are seated in plastic chairs in the doctor’s office waiting for Seokmin’s turn. The cries of a little girl screaming at her mom about how badly the shot hurt were far to shrill for this early in the morning.  She was doing nothing for Seokmin’s nerves. “You’ll be fine.” Soonyoung gives his knee a reassuring squeeze.

Seokmin lets out a shaky breath as a nurse ushers them into an open room. He hoists himself into the chair, attempts to roll up the sleeves of his sweater, but Soonyoung bats away his trembling hand and does it for him. The nurse examines both of his arms before settling on the left. Soonyoung takes his right hand between his own and squeezes.

“Eyes on me, okay Minnie?” Seokmin turns his head to face Soonyoung, eyebrows furrowed. His palm is starting to sweat, but Soonyoung just grips tighter.

“Are you nervous?” the nurse asks as she finishes setting up. Seokmin only nods in reply. He tenses up when she ties the rubber band around his bicep. “It’s okay. It’s just a tiny pinch, over before you know it.” He squeezes his eyes shut when she rubs the inside of his arm with the disinfecting wipe. “Take a deep breath for me.” Soonyoung watches the needle go in and so far so good.

It’s not until the nurse tries to fill the second tube that he notices how slowly the blood is moving. The nurse removes the needle completely and Seokmin sighs in relief. “Is it done?” he asks in a small voice.

“The vein collapsed.” She tapes down a piece of cotton where the needle was. “I’m going to have to draw from somewhere else. The veins in your right arm are too small.” She flips his arm over, looking at the back of his hand and Soonyoung can feel Seokmin’s panic rising. He hooks a finger under his chin and turns Seokmin’s head so their eyes can meet.

“You did so well for the first one, Seokmin-ah.” He sees the nurse wipe down the fleshy part of Seokmin’s forearm out of the corner of his eye. Getting the blood drawn from there wouldn’t hurt as badly as from the back of the hand, but it would still hurt. “You can do that again, right? I’m right here; I won’t let anything happen to you.” There’s sweat beading along Seokmin’s hairline, the color completely drained from his face, but he nods despite himself. Soonyoung can feel Seokmin’s pulse racing under his fingers, can feel how tense he is.

His Best Friend Instincts kick in in that moment. As the nurse approaches Seokmin’s arm with the needle Soonyoung leans in and presses a kiss to the corner of Seokmin’s mouth. He feels the tension bleed out of Seokmin instantly. When Soonyoung pulls away he first notices that there is already another bandage on Seokmin’s forearm then notices the deep shade of red that is coloring the other boy’s cheeks.

“All done,” the nurse says with a smile and she hands them both lollipops from her candy stash that is most likely meant for pacifying crying children.

As they walk outside there is a heavy silence between the two of them and Soonyoung worries that his instincts may have failed him. He’s not sure why his knee-jerk reaction was to kiss his best friend; he just knows it had felt like the right thing to do.

“Um, thanks, hyung, for coming with me and-and—just thanks for being there,” Seokmin stammers, eyes to the ground.

“Yeah, of course. Sorry about the…” Soonyoung gestures vaguely at his lips.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you did it again.”

Wait.

What?

“What?”

Seokmin inches closer, cups Soonyoung’s cheeks between his hands, seals their lips together and— _oh_ —so this is what Soonyoung’s instincts have been trying to tell him for years. The kiss lasts longer this time, so Soonyoung allows himself to enjoy it, to revel in Seokmin’s warmth.

When they part Seokmin’s smile is so blindingly bright Soonyoung suddenly feels like a swarm of butterflies is fluttering inside his stomach. He returns it with a smile of his own, laces their fingers together.

Somewhere over the course of their friendship Soonyoung had fallen in love with his best friend without even realizing. It was a seamless progression, like many other aspects of their relationship. It’s new and exciting and Soonyoung is sure his instincts will help guide him through this.

After all, they had never failed him before.

 

 


End file.
